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Jordan won't be tipping pitches anymore

By
Tom Schad and Andrew SimonMLB.com

WASHINGTON -- Right-hander Taylor Jordan was tipping his pitches in his first Major League start, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.

Adam LaRoche first noticed the trend, according to the source, and he told the right-hander and manager Davey Johnson about it. LaRoche said before Jordan started Thursday's game against the Brewers that the rookie has fixed the problem, but LaRoche will continue to keep an eye on him.

WASHINGTON -- Right-hander Taylor Jordan was tipping his pitches in his first Major League start, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.

Adam LaRoche first noticed the trend, according to the source, and he told the right-hander and manager Davey Johnson about it. LaRoche said before Jordan started Thursday's game against the Brewers that the rookie has fixed the problem, but LaRoche will continue to keep an eye on him.

"I just informed him of what I saw and tried to explain that, up here, you're not going to get away with that for long. There's too many scouts, there's too many different video angles now and people looking for it," LaRoche said. "We've got guys constantly looking for pitchers tipping stuff, so I'm sure he's corrected it. He said he thought about it in the past and caught it in the past and just didn't feel himself falling back into it."

Jordan was solid in Thursday's 8-5 win over Milwaukee, as he allowed two runs on six hits and no walks with three strikeouts and left with a 5-2 lead after 5 2/3 innings. He didn't receive a decision because the bullpen blew his lead.

Mets rookie Zack Wheeler, who the Nationals faced in Sunday's 13-2 win, was also reportedly tipping his pitches. When asked about how often players catch those tips, LaRoche was frank.

"More often than you think," he said. "There's a handful of players I think on every team -- I say that because it's every team I've been on -- that are really good at picking that stuff up.

"It's a big part of the game. That's why I tell our young guys all the time, it's completely different now. You're playing the same game, but you've got a lot more eyeballs on you here."